Sudan's borders trouble EU

BRUSSELS, July 24 (UPI) -- The European Union expressed deep concern about deteriorating humanitarian situations along the Sudan-South Sudan border.

The European Union, in a foreign policy meeting Tuesday in Brussels, called for "unhindered humanitarian access" to Sudanese border areas for international humanitarian agencies.

"The EU is deeply concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile," a statement read.

The Satellite Sentinel Project, a watchdog group co-founded by U.S. actor George Clooney, said satellite imagery from November suggests about 90 percent of a village in South Kordofan was razed intentionally.

South Sudan became an independent country last year under the terms of a 2005 peace agreement. Ethnic conflicts and border disputes are threatening the fragile peace, however.

The European Union called on both parties to the conflict to resume negotiations over the border "without further delay."

The United Nations and African Union expressed similar concerns over economic issues and border demarcation.

"The EU supports the promotion by the AU of a holistic approach to the quest for peace, justice and reconciliation and to prioritize democratization in both Sudan and South Sudan, as a sine qua non for stability and equitable governance," a statement read.

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